“North” won the 2017 vote, organized by the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, amid escalating tensions in North Korea. “Gold” won the ballot in 2016, recognizing the Olympic Games held that year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the BBC reported.

Kanji are Chinese characters adopted for use in the Japanese writing system. The language also uses syllabic scripts called hiragana and katakana. Katakana, in particular, is often used for foreign words and loanwords.

Decades of low birth rates and low immigration have contributed to an aging population, which is already impacting the economy. An April report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation made dramatic predictions about the country’s future finances.

“As Japan's elderly population is projected to reach nearly three-quarters of the working-age population by 2050, using all available talent in the labor market is key to overcome labor shortages," it read. “This will require creating better work conditions for youth, incentivizing employment for the elderly, attracting foreign workers and closing gender gaps in job quality to promote the inclusion of women.”